ENGLAND'S great World Cup adventure came to an end in Shizuoka today.They lost 2-1 to Brazil in the quarter-final in a match – frustratingly – they might well have won.

ENGLAND'S great World Cup adventure came to an end in Shizuoka today.

They lost 2-1 to Brazil in the quarter-final in a match – frustratingly – they might well have won.

Sven Goran Eriksson's men did enough in midfield and defence to prevent Brazil from showing much of the world-beating flair they are famous for.

But they failed to put the South Americans' suspect defence under enough pressure.

England led for 22 minutes after Michael Owen's classy finish from Emile Heskey's through ball midway through the first half.

But they were opened up in first-half injury-time by the trickery of Ronaldinho, who laid on the opening for Rivaldo to maintain his record of scoring in every game Brazil have played in the tournament.

And England's normally solid goalkeeper David Seaman let them down just after the break when he was caught out of position by a speculative free-kick. Ronaldinho's kick beat Seaman in the air to put Brazil ahead.

Shortly afterwards, Ronaldinho was sent off for a vicious foul on Danny Mills.

But though they spent most of the second half battling to find a way through the ten men, England in the end simply lacked the guile to do so.

So England have gone out to the World Cup favourites – and as so often before the nation is left to ponder on what might have been.